Published: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 5:20 p.m.

Less than a week after opening a 6.8-mile, $137 million stretch of elevated highway between Leeville and Fourchon, which officials hailed as a massive achievement for the state and nation, advocates of the drive to upgrade La. 1 were dealt

a setback.

For the third-straight year, efforts to nab federal construction dollars to build an elevated highway from U.S. 90 to Port Fourchon failed, leaving supporters unsure of how to improve their argument to the federal government. Instead of the La. 1 project, which advocates say is crucial to preserving continuous access to Port Fourchon, one of the country's biggest energy hubs, money went to small towns looking to make roads more bicycle-friendly, among other projects.

“I was shocked,” said Henri Boulet, executive director of the La. 1 Coalition, a nonprofit that has spearheaded the lobbying push for highway upgrades.

La. 1, which has long suffered from erosion and neglect, is the only route linking the rest of the state and nation to Port Fourchon, a national oil hub that serves as the supply point for more than half of all oil-and-gas production in the Gulf

of Mexico.

The highway routinely floods when it rains during strong winds and at high tide. Tropical weather can close the road for days.

For now, Boulet said his group will continue to watch Congress closely and monitor any bills that earmark money for major transportation or infrastructure upgrades, but there is nothing definite on the horizon, he said.

“We don't know what else we can do to educate the powers that be at the U.S. Department of Transportation more than what we've done,” Boulet said. “We're just baffled at this point.”

Although the local and state government, as well as private industry, have committed money to the project, most officials agree the bulk of the work cannot be done without the federal government's help.

There is still more than $1 billion in improvements planned.

Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, said the state has a solid commitment to seeing the project through. While it's unlikely the state has enough cash to finance the entire project now, state government could bear the burden if spending is prioritized, he said.

“There may be a time the state says it can throw $100 million at it,” he said. “You can never say it's not going to happen.”

The federal Transportation Department was allocating money through a grant program that originated with President Barack Obama's stimulus package in 2009, which sent billions of dollars to state and local governments throughout the country to jump-start the economy and job growth.

This was the third and final round of stimulus money that Transportation Department was awarding, and Boulet said he thought the La. 1 Coalition's application was the strongest yet.

The group asked for $18.4 million to help construct a ramp over South Lafourche Levee District property near Golden Meadow, a critical portion of the project that would allow for the future construction of an 8-mile link between Leeville and Golden Meadow. The state committed $20 million for the project, and private industry committed $6 million.

In previous applications, the coalition had no matching money and asked for significantly larger sums of money.

The most recent application was also strengthened by a December report from the Department of Homeland Security that said a 90-day shutdown of the highway would cause a multi-billion dollar blow to the national and local economies.

“It's just kind of crazy that we were rejected,” Boulet said. “I'm disappointed they didn't see the bigger picture.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the stimulus grant program received 848 project applications requesting a total of $14.29 billion. They were competing for $511 million.

Among the projects to receive money from the Transportation Department are street projects to create pedestrian and bike lanes, major bridge and road construction and railroad improvements.

The only project to receive Transportation Department money in Louisiana is the Port of New Orleans, which was awarded about $17 million for various improvements.

A little more than $2 million went to a small city in Idaho for a project to narrow travel lanes, widen sidewalks and create bicycle lanes for five blocks of streets. San Antonio, Texas, received $15 million to build a transit station.

Boulet said he will ask Transportation Department officials to explain the coalition's failed application. He also said he wants to set up a forum sometime in the spring in Washington D.C. with officials from the Transportation Department, Homeland Security, the Interior Department and the Department of Energy to explain the importance of La. 1.

“Maybe we can come up with some type of funding strategy that incorporates resources from several federal agencies,” he said.

Chabert said it's possible that, absent any new money for several years, the toll on the Leeville bridge could be moved to help pay for other sections.

The Transportation Department says a bill under consideration in Congress to extend tax cuts for most Americans and unemployment benefits contains as much as $50 billion to distribute for more projects around the country.

“The nation needs to help fund this,” Boulet said. “We need that segment to rid this vulnerability for the whole country.”

Staff Writer Nate Monroe can be reached at 448-7639 or at nate.monroe@dailycomet.com.

<p>Less than a week after opening a 6.8-mile, $137 million stretch of elevated highway between Leeville and Fourchon, which officials hailed as a massive achievement for the state and nation, advocates of the drive to upgrade La. 1 were dealt </p><p>a setback. </p><p>For the third-straight year, efforts to nab federal construction dollars to build an elevated highway from U.S. 90 to Port Fourchon failed, leaving supporters unsure of how to improve their argument to the federal government. Instead of the La. 1 project, which advocates say is crucial to preserving continuous access to Port Fourchon, one of the country's biggest energy hubs, money went to small towns looking to make roads more bicycle-friendly, among other projects. </p><p>“I was shocked,” said Henri Boulet, executive director of the La. 1 Coalition, a nonprofit that has spearheaded the lobbying push for highway upgrades. </p><p>La. 1, which has long suffered from erosion and neglect, is the only route linking the rest of the state and nation to Port Fourchon, a national oil hub that serves as the supply point for more than half of all oil-and-gas production in the Gulf </p><p>of Mexico.</p><p>The highway routinely floods when it rains during strong winds and at high tide. Tropical weather can close the road for days.</p><p>For now, Boulet said his group will continue to watch Congress closely and monitor any bills that earmark money for major transportation or infrastructure upgrades, but there is nothing definite on the horizon, he said.</p><p>“We don't know what else we can do to educate the powers that be at the U.S. Department of Transportation more than what we've done,” Boulet said. “We're just baffled at this point.”</p><p>Although the local and state government, as well as private industry, have committed money to the project, most officials agree the bulk of the work cannot be done without the federal government's help.</p><p>There is still more than $1 billion in improvements planned.</p><p>Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, said the state has a solid commitment to seeing the project through. While it's unlikely the state has enough cash to finance the entire project now, state government could bear the burden if spending is prioritized, he said.</p><p>“There may be a time the state says it can throw $100 million at it,” he said. “You can never say it's not going to happen.”</p><p>The federal Transportation Department was allocating money through a grant program that originated with President Barack Obama's stimulus package in 2009, which sent billions of dollars to state and local governments throughout the country to jump-start the economy and job growth.</p><p>This was the third and final round of stimulus money that Transportation Department was awarding, and Boulet said he thought the La. 1 Coalition's application was the strongest yet.</p><p>The group asked for $18.4 million to help construct a ramp over South Lafourche Levee District property near Golden Meadow, a critical portion of the project that would allow for the future construction of an 8-mile link between Leeville and Golden Meadow. The state committed $20 million for the project, and private industry committed $6 million.</p><p>In previous applications, the coalition had no matching money and asked for significantly larger sums of money. </p><p>The most recent application was also strengthened by a December report from the Department of Homeland Security that said a 90-day shutdown of the highway would cause a multi-billion dollar blow to the national and local economies.</p><p>“It's just kind of crazy that we were rejected,” Boulet said. “I'm disappointed they didn't see the bigger picture.”</p><p>According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the stimulus grant program received 848 project applications requesting a total of $14.29 billion. They were competing for $511 million.</p><p>Among the projects to receive money from the Transportation Department are street projects to create pedestrian and bike lanes, major bridge and road construction and railroad improvements.</p><p>The only project to receive Transportation Department money in Louisiana is the Port of New Orleans, which was awarded about $17 million for various improvements. </p><p>A little more than $2 million went to a small city in Idaho for a project to narrow travel lanes, widen sidewalks and create bicycle lanes for five blocks of streets. San Antonio, Texas, received $15 million to build a transit station.</p><p>Boulet said he will ask Transportation Department officials to explain the coalition's failed application. He also said he wants to set up a forum sometime in the spring in Washington D.C. with officials from the Transportation Department, Homeland Security, the Interior Department and the Department of Energy to explain the importance of La. 1.</p><p>“Maybe we can come up with some type of funding strategy that incorporates resources from several federal agencies,” he said.</p><p>Chabert said it's possible that, absent any new money for several years, the toll on the Leeville bridge could be moved to help pay for other sections.</p><p>The Transportation Department says a bill under consideration in Congress to extend tax cuts for most Americans and unemployment benefits contains as much as $50 billion to distribute for more projects around the country.</p><p>“The nation needs to help fund this,” Boulet said. “We need that segment to rid this vulnerability for the whole country.”</p><p>Staff Writer Nate Monroe can be reached at 448-7639 or at nate.monroe@dailycomet.com.</p>